UBC’s Dr. Phil Hieter elected to the National Academy of Sciences

University Professor Phil Hieter has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Hieter is one of only 84 new members being recognized for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. 

Membership in the academy is one of the highest possible honors for scientists in the US. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership, and with the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine provides science, technology, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.

Hieter is a Professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories and the Department of Medical Genetics, and an Associate Member of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia. 

He is a world-renowned leader in the study of cell division, chromosome biology, and yeast genetics. He is widely recognized for his work on structural and regulatory proteins that ensure faithful segregation of chromosomes during cell division, including seminal studies on yeast centromeres, sister chromatid cohesion, and regulation of cell cycle progression during mitosis. Throughout his career, his work has demonstrated and advocated the value of model experimental organisms for understanding mechanisms of human disease. His work has had a profound impact on our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cell division and he has successfully translated this knowledge to normal human biology and human diseases including cancer.

See all the winners here.